Juuni Taisen: CSI
by Gale-Dragon
Summary: Sumino Tsugiyoshi is the newest member of the Juuni Taisen Crimes Labs Team, Codename; Nezumi. He may be young but he's brilliant. Now he has to use both his brains and his ability to help solve crimes, mysteries, and survive the other Juuni Taisen members.
1. The Rat's First Day

**Gale-Dragon** : This is what happens when you love mysteries and the characters of Juuni Taisen. Oh well, enjoy.

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Juuni Taisen: CSI.

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Chapter 1; The Rat's First Day.

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Quick Note: In this world, people with animal traits (ie: ears, tails, horns, claws, fins, hooves) are pretty common.

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Sumino Tsugiyoshi, a teen that stood at 170 cm (5.577 ft), looked up at a rather plain building. His short grey hair (despite being in his teens) moved slightly in the light breeze. His grey eyes scanned the piece of paper in his hand, re-reading the address written on it. "I guess this is the place," Tsugiyoshi mumbled before walking into the building.

The teen walked up to the front desk and asked the receptionist "Ano, excuse me, which floor is the Juuni Taisen Crime Lab on? I'm the new Zodiac, ano, Nezumi the Rat..." Tsugiyoshi DID wonder why he was given a codename, but then again, this place WAS one of the best Crime Labs in the nation. "I'm supposed to be meeting with, ano, someone by the name of Sharyū the Monkey," Tsugiyoshi said, trying to suppress a yawn and then wondered why he even applied for this job.

The receptionist buzzed him up.

}i{

The person by the name of Sharyū was a young brown (okay, very light brown that looks orange) haired woman that stood at 150 cm (4.92 ft) wore an olive green combat uniform consisting of a headset, an orange scarf, and a green combat jacket. She also wore an olive green skirt with black pantyhose, boots, and had a huge bag filled with camping survival gear (and possibly other useful stuff in there) on her back. She had a monkey tail poking out from under the helm of her shirt. She also told him that she was the Juuni Taisen's Negotiations Specialist and the Psychologist/Behavior Expert.

"Nezumi-kun, and let me the first to welcome you to our lab and congratulate you on passing the Juuni Taisen Application Test," Sharyū said happily as she shook Tsugiyoshi's hand. The grey-haired teen just watched and wondered how someone of the Monkey's stature was able to carry such a big bag on their back and without showing it. 'Come to think of it, why is she even wearing that indoors?' Tsugiyoshi wondered to himself. "I'll be giving you the grand tour of our lab and I'll introduce you to everyone. Please follow me Nezumi-kun" Sharyū said happily as she motioned for the teen to follow her.

Tsugiyoshi yawned and followed Sharyū. 'I'm going to have to get used to being called Nezumi here,' the grey-haired teen thought as they continued on their way. Sharyū glanced at the teen and wondered if she had met him before today.

}{

A barrage of sounds greeted Tsugiyoshi's ears when he and Sharyū arrived in front of a steel door labeled 'Weapons Testing'. The monkey handed the grey-haired teen a pair of earmuffs and said: "You might want to have these on when you meet Inounoshishi the Boar, she's probably going to be firing her beloved partners." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "Then... Shouldn't we meet her after she's done?" Sharyū sighed and said, "We could, but she gets really huffy if she's not introduced first, even if she's busy with something." "So, she's one of those pain-in-the-ass Divas, huh," the grey-haired teen stated in a sleepy tone. Sharyū gave a nervous chuckle and said shyly as she scratched her cheek "I guess you can call her that, just not to her face unless you want to be on the receiving end of her two partners." 'Judging by the sounds coming from that room, those 'Partners' must be some type of gun,' Tsugiyoshi thought with a yawn as he put the earmuffs on.

When Sharyū opened the door, it sounded like there was a miniature war going on inside. Tsugiyoshi saw a woman with knee long blond hair (with two buns on the top, back, sides of her head that looked similar to pointed boar ears) that stood at 176 cm (Approx. 5.77 ft), she was wearing a white blouse that did little to hide robust chest, a tight orange skirt that reached her knees, ruby red high heeled shoes that gleamed with each shot of the two very large, hand-held semi-automatic machine guns that she had in her hands. Seeing as she was the only one who was in the Weapons Testing area, the grey-haired teen could safely assume that the woman was Inounoshishi. 'She looks like she's enjoying this a little too much,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he placed his hands over the earmuffs, trying to block out more of the sounds of gunfire.

"Inounoshishi-chan!" Sharyū hollered, trying to grab the attention of the blond over the sounds of rapid gunfire. Tsugiyoshi wasn't all that well-versed in firearms, but he did know that guns eventually run out of ammunition. Especially since the blonde's index fingers seemed to be locked on the trigger, and considering that she's been firing those semis for well over a minute, she should be running out of ammo soon. But the boar didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"INOUNOSHISHI-CHAN!" Sharyū shouted, her voice now being louder than the gunfire. Tsugiyoshi had to admit, he didn't think the monkey could shout that loudly.

The blond finally stopped shooting and turned to see who was calling her. Now Tsugiyoshi could see that she had ruby red eyes, a beauty mark under the corner of her left eye, bright red lipstick painted that seemed to be delicately painted on, and earring that had what appeared to be tiny dangling boar tusks. "Sharyū, why are you here? Interrupting my Special Time with Aishuu and Inochigoi," Inounoshishis said in a tone that was a mixture of Full-of-Herself, annoyance, and How-Dare-You-Bother-Me. Tsugiyoshi had a strong feeling that the boar and monkey weren't the best of friends. Sharyū smiled and said, "But isn't it impolite not to introduce someone to a Lady first?" The grey-haired teen raised a brow at that. Inounoshishi gave a smile that practically shouted 'Of-Course' when she asked "Oh? And whom are you introducing to me?" 'I'm going to have to keep this Lady thing in mind when dealing with her,' Tsugiyoshi thought, taking some mental notes.

Sharyū waved a hand towards Tsugiyoshi and said: "This is Nezumi the Rat, he's our newest member of the Juuni Taisen team." The grey-haired teen did say "Hello," in a bit of a tired tone. Inounoshishi looked him over and saying "I shall be honest, I did not expect our newest member to be so young." "I'm 15. I graduated High School early and I have a college degree due to having all my credits because of Dual Enrollment," Tsugiyoshi stated, not really liking the Boar's tone. The grey-haired teen might have been a teenager, but he had a lot of achievements under his belt, all due to his "Special Power".

Inounoshishi was only slightly impressed with that.

Sharyū explained to Tsugiyoshi "Inounoshishi-chan is our Weapons Expert. She knows everything from blunt instruments to firearms. Especially the firearms." That last part wasn't too hard to figure out. Sharyū then continued "She's the one to identify what causes an injury to a person or object." Tsugiyoshi nodded at that.

The Monkey and the Rat left the Boar to her "Special Time" with her "Partners". 'She's going to be a handful,' Tsugiyoshi thought with a yawn.

A minute after the two left, Inounoshishi stopped firing her guns and wondered if she met that teen before. She then shrugged it off and continued firing her guns.

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The next Juuni Taisen members that Sharyū introduced him to was a pair of identical twins sitting at a computer each. Both were in their mid-20s, had pale skin, grey hair, and golden snake-like eyes. One twin wore a grey single t-shirt and military khaki pants while the other wore a blue jacket and military khaki pants. "These two are Dragon and Snake, they're the Juuni Taisen's Forensic Accountants." "You need two Forensic Accountants?" Tsugiyoshi asked with a raised brow. One twin, the one in the blue jacket, said in an 'All-Mighty' tone "Ore-sama (1) and my younger brother check all things dealing with money," then the other twin, the grey shirt, said in the same tone as his brother "And trust us, one person isn't enough to look through everything in a respectable amount of time."

"Dragon, Snake, this is is Nezumi the Rat, our newest member of the team," Sharyū happily told the twins. The two smirked at the grey-haired teen, stated at the same time "Alright," and went back to what they were doing. Hopefully, it was work.

Sharyū continued her tour/meet-and-greet with Tsugiyoshi. 'Now that I think about it, which one was Dragon and which one was Snake?' the grey-haired teen thought as they left the room (with transparent walls), then thought with a soft sigh 'I guess that's the problem with identical twins, and I'll figure it out eventually.'

Two minutes later... "Oi, Aniki (Big Brother), have we met that kid before? He looks familiar," the twin with the grey shirt asked the other, who replied, "Ore-sama felt the same thing, but Ore-sama is sure we haven't met him before today." The twins just went back to what they were doing.

}i{

Sharyū and Tsugiyoshi then ran into two Juuni Taisen, who have just arrived back to the lab.

"Uuma, Tora, welcome back and just in time," Sharyū said happily, waving to the two as they walked towards her and the grey-haired teen. One was a towering strongman of a giant standing at 230cm (Approx. 7.54 ft), semi-long wavy brown hair, dark red eyes, wearing a tight sleeveless grey shirt, brown slacks, red boots, and a pair of red gauntlets around each of his lower arms (and above his wrists). The other was a Pettit sized orangette around 154 cm (Approx. 5ft) with orange cat eats on top of her head, emerald green eyes, wore a tiger printed shirt and slacks, a black leather jacket, black choker collar, an orange cat tail with black strips, and orange shoes (slightly heeled). 'Talk about a stark contrast,' Tsugiyoshi thought when he saw the two.

"I'm guessing that you're the Tiger," Tsugiyoshi asked the orangette, who smiled and replied as she wrapped an arm around the grey-haired teen "Yup, I'ma Tora tha Tiger." Tsugiyoshi quickly, and easily, realized that her breath reeked of alcohol. The giant then told Sharyū in a soft tone "We passed an open bar on the way here, and I couldn't stop her from getting a bottle." "No worries Uuma, you know how she is," the monkey said with a weak smile, knowing full well that no one got between Tora and a bottle of alcohol.

Sharyū then told the two happily "By the way, this is Nezumi the Rat. Nezumi-kun this is Uuma the Hoarse, he's the Enforcement Expert, and you've already figured out Tora is the Tiger. She's our Hand-to-Hand Combat Expert." Tsugiyoshi then said in a dizzying tone "Ano, that's nice. But, I'm starting to see doubles or triples... Ano, how many of you are actually here?" The smell of Tora's breath was really getting to the grey-haired teen.

The next thing everyone knew, Tsugiyoshi really did pass out.

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Tsugiyoshi slowly opened his eyes to see the white ceiling of the Med Wing of the Juuni Taisen Labs.

"My, my, how many times do we have to tell Tora about overdoing it with the drinking. Honestly, drinking so much that her breath smells bad enough to make the poor boy pass out." Tsugiyoshi heard a voice of an elderly man said. He turned his head to see Sharyū and an elderly man with greyish-white hair, full beard, and mustache of the same colour, red eyes, ram horns poking out from under that straw hat he wore on his head, had on a traditional light blue yukata with dark grey strips, getas (2), and stood at 140 cm (Approx. 4.59 ft). The elderly man noticed the teen was awake and said "Ahh, Nezumi-kun, glad to see you're with us again. I am Hitsuji the Sheep, or Ram, you can use whichever you'd like. I'm the current director of the Juuni Taisen, as well as the residential explosive expert."

"Ah, so you're the head honcho here," Tsugiyoshi said in a tired tone, before adding as he moved into a sitting position "I didn't think you would be that old though." Hitsuji waved a hand and said "I don't blame you for thinking that. I was actually supposed to be retired from all this, but things happened and I had to come back to the Juuni Taisen." "Oh?" was all Tsugiyoshi got out before yawning and thinking 'He's obviously too old to be going into the field, but he's bound to have plenty of experience. He probably uses that to help from headquarters here.'

That was when the grey-haired teen noticed a messy mop of short white hair poking up from the end of the bed he was on. "Ano, who are you?" Tsugiyoshi curiously asked the white-haired man, who stood up to see the grey-haired teen a bit better. The white hair belonged to a young man with a fit build, some of his hair covered his left eye while his right eye was red with a black sclera, seemed to have sharp teeth, wore a black rabbit-eared headpiece with one of the ears was droopy. What Tsugiyoshi couldn't miss was the attire the whitette was wearing. An odd and immensely revealing for a male (basically shorts that only covered his pelvic region), a collar with a black bow was attired on his neck, two black suspenders hooked over his shoulders to supported his black shorts, a large white rabbit tail on his back, and a pair of black high heeled shoes. 'Ano, is that type of clothing even allowed to be worn in a crime lab?' Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but wonder, but at least it wasn't hard to figure out that this guy was the Rabbit.

"Usagi Rabbit, the Coroner of Juuni Taisen," the white-haired man said, leaning over the bed to get an uncomfortably close look at the grey-haired teen. "Ano, could you back up a bit Rabbit-san, you're too close and you reak of corpses and I already passed out once today due to a strong smell," Tsugiyoshi said, covering his nose. Sharyū pulled the mop-haired man off the grey-haired teen and said: "Usagi, this isn't what we meant by trying to get closer to the team!" Hitsuji then told Tsugiyoshi "That's Usagi, he's the coroner here." "Yeah, I kinda got that," the grey-haired teen said with a sweatdrop. The elderly man then added, "He's good at what he does and he's a good boy, but he's not exactly good at socializing with the living." Tsugiyoshi nodded and said, "I get it, I'll be patient with him during my interactions with him."

Sharyū quickly introduced Tsugiyoshi to Usagi and added "And Usagi, please keep Sangatsu and Shiro on their leashes during today's meeting. I know everyone loves them, but critters need to be kept on either a harness or a leash or in a crate when in the lab." "The Playpen's ok for them, right?" Usagi asked curiously. Hitsuji then said to the whitette "Usagi-kun, I already told you, the playpen is okay as long as it's completely closed when you're working, and that Sangatsu and Shiro are on their leashes when you're walking around the lab with them, and that you clean up after them." This made Usagi very, very happy.

Sharyū quickly explained to Tsugiyoshi that Sangatsu and Shiro were Usagi's Therapy Rabbits. "Actual bunny rabbits? Is that really allowed here? I mean, with all the trace evidence stuff?" Tsugiyoshi asked with a raised brow. Sharyū happily explained "Yes, they're rabbits. Yes, it's allowed, long as the critters are trained, in a crate, or on a leash. And the two are brushed regularly so that their fur doesn't get in the evidence, and Usagi isn't allowed to bring them into any of the Trace Labs that have the red lights on. You saw those after you met Dragon and Snake, those lights are next to the doorways." Now that Tsugiyoshi thought about it, the monkey was right, he did see those lights, only a few of them were on though.

"Ano... Is that our new team member?" a voice from the doorway asked the individuals in the room.

"Ah, Niwatori-kun, good timing," Hitsuji said, motioning the young lady into the room. She had green eyes and short green hair that covered her ears with a braid tied on the left side of her head and a fan of feathers was on her right side of her head, a thick vermilion coated cape with a yellow heart shape located in the centerpiece covered her red top, a pair of red shorts, stood about 153 cm (Approx. 5ft), and a full-grown blue-and-yellow macaw perched on her left shoulder. Sharyū then told the two "Nezumi-kun this is Niwatori the Chicken, our Information Expert. Niwatori-chan this is Nezumi the Rat." Niwatori then said as she pointed to the parrot on her shoulder and said: "This handsome guy is Amour." The macaw whistled a "Hello, _raawhk_!" Tsugiyoshi gave the bird a small wave and thought 'That thing better be trained.'

Sharyū then said, "Alright, all that leaves are Ushii-san and Dotsuku-san to introduce Nezumi-kun to." Hitsuji then chimed in "Nazumi-kun will meet Ushii-kun during today's meeting, but Dotsuku-kun's going to be running a little late, something came up at his other job, but don't worry, it's nothing serious." "We're allowed to have other jobs?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously. Hatsuji looked at the grey-haired teen and said: "Normally no, but Dotsuku-kun's other job is a special case, plus it's an easy walking distance from this building." Niwatori appeared beside the elderly man and asked sweetly "Which is where exactly?" Hitsuji eyed the greenette and said "Nice try little missy, but it's going to take a lot more than that to pull the wool over this old goat's eyes," and then left the room. Tsugiyoshi raised a brow at that.

Sharyū asked Tsugiyoshi if he was well enough to continue the tour of the Juuni Taisen Labs. The teen nodded but did comment that he didn't want to go into any of the placed that had any strong smells.

}i{

The tour ended at the Juuni Taisen's canteen, with Sharyū explaining how their food system worked.

"The members of the Juuni Taisen cook for each other?" Tsugiyoshi asked with a raised brow. Sharyū explained a little better "Yes, it's to help boost the team's trust in one another. We have a rotation schedule for each member *points to a whiteboard next to the door leading to the kitchen then walks over to the teen*. You'll get your chance to cook for everyone once you've acclimated to everything here. *Looks at the board* Oh, it looks like it's Uuma-san's turn to cook today."

Tsugiyoshi looked at the board, noticed something, and said: "Ano, I don't see this Ushii person's name on this." Sharyū then said honestly "Actually, Ushii-san is completely banned from using the kitchen." "Eh?" the grey-haired teen got out, then asked "How? And Why?" "He accidentally blew-up the kitchen when he tried cooking here," Sharyū said with a nervous chuckle. "What device did he blow-up?" Tsugiyoshi asked with a raised brow, thinking along the lines of a stove or an oven blew up. "No, he blew up the entire kitchen, literally. It took a good two weeks to fix everything," the monkey said with a nervous twitch of the brow. The teen's head snapped to the orangette with a shocked look on his face and asked: "What was he trying to make?" "I'm not sure if he even knew..." Sharyū said with a sigh, then added "Ushii-san's an amazing person and an even better leader, but his biggest flaw has to be the fact that he can't cook anything. Oh, that remind's me, please politely decline any of his offer to try anything he makes, none of it is really edible." 'Definitely, need to keep that in mind,' Tsugiyoshi thought with a sweatdrop.

Sharyū then looked at her watch and said: "Oh, the meeting's going to start soon." This confused Tsugiyoshi a bit as Sharyū pushed a button that caused all the blinds to close on all the windows. "Ano, shouldn't we start heading to the meeting room? Or something like that?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously as Sharyū dimmed the lights a bit. The monkey then explained, "Our Meeting Room is under renovation, so we have to use the canteen for our meeting in the meantime." "I see... Is the renovation making the Meeting Room more high-tech?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously as he sat down at a table. Sharyū sighed as she sat at the same table and said "No, Inounoshishi-chan, kind of sort of, ano... She broke one of the big Rules here and nearly destroyed the Meeting Room." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "Big Rules? Can you tell me them?" Sharyū really looked uncomfortable when she nervously said "I, ano, don't think you need to worry about the one Inounoshishi broke. You're way too young to hear about it anyway." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow again.

After a solid 5 minutes, the other Juuni Taisen members were in the canteen. Usagi came in with two rabbits on harnesses and leashes, one rabbit was pure white and the other was completely cocoa brown. Neither rabbit seemed to really mind being on leashes.

This also gave Tsugiyoshi the opportunity to meet Ushii the Ox. Ushii stood at 181 cm (Approx. 5.938 ft), had calve long dark brown (so dark that it appears black) hair with red beaming from the underside, grey eyes, black oxen horns, wore a black matador outfit with gold trimmings, he looked thin but he seemed fit, a red tie, shiny black boots, and had a saber (in a sheath) with Gyuubouken inscribed on it.

Ushii only glanced at Tsugiyoshi to know that he was the new member of the team. Sharyū happily did the introductions "Ushii-san, this is Nezumi the Rat. Nezumi-kun this is Ushii the Ox, he's our Leader and Blade Expert." The teen gave a polite bow and said "Hello." Ushii nodded and asked, "Has Sharyū given you the complete tour?" Tsugiyoshi nodded and said, "Yes, and I've met everyone but someone called Dotsuku-san." "Ah, I heard from Hitsuji-san that he'll be in after the meeting," the ox man said, before saying "Also, I do apologize for my younger sister's actions earlier today." Tsugiyoshi tilt his head to the side and asked "Sister? What are you talking about?"

Tora rested her right elbow on Ushii's left arm and said in a slightly tipsy tone "How many times do'I gotta tell ya? Yar an't responsible far me, I can take care ofa myself and apologize' far my actions." "Not when you're drunk, as you usually are every day," Ushii stated in a plain, unamused tone. Tora tried to shove the taller man off-balanced (she was failing, obviously) and shouted in a bit of a drunk tone "Shat up! I don' get drunk sa easily! You! Baka brother!" 'They're related! They look nothing alike!' Tsugiyoshi thought with a dumbfounded shocked look plastered on his face.

Tsugiyoshi looked back and forth between Tora and Ushii and finally asked the two "Are you a blended family or step-siblings?"

It's a fair question. Individuals with animal traits can only have one type. Meaning a couple with two different animal traits will have a child that will inherit only one of the parent's traits, the child can't inherit both animal traits.

For example, a couple with a cat trait and a goat trait will have a child with either the cat traits or the goat trait.

Ushii and Tora eyed each other before the feline said: "It'sa bita bo-GAH?!" The ox elbowed his sister in the ribs and stated coldly "You don't really need to tell him. Nezumi-kun, we are merely brother and sister (3), that is all."

A sweatdrop appeared on Tsugiyoshi's brow when he thought 'They must be step-sibling... But, wouldn't nepotism be a problem with them?'

After that little thing, everyone sat down and Ushii started the meeting. (Which was basically informing Tsugiyoshi/Nezumi the rules of the Juuni Taisen, all the Rules of Juuni Taisen).

}{

After the meeting has ended, Tsugiyoshi learned that another flaw of Ushii's character was that once he made a decision, there is absolutely no changing his mind on sed decision. At least, it seemed like a flaw in this case.

You see, when Ushii was telling Tsugiyoshi the rules and why that were implemented, he told the teen about the rule that Inounoshishi broke. During this, Sharyū was doing her best to stop the leader from explaining it with non-verbal and verbal gestures but failed so very miserably...

Tsugiyoshi's eyebrow twitched when he thought 'She had sex in the meeting room with one of her boyfriends... Who had no authorization to be in Juuni Taisen... And fired her guns when some of the Juuni Taisen teammates showed up... Eesh, she really is a diva. Divas are nothing but trouble. Well, at least she got severely reprimanded for it.' Poor Sharyū was crying a stream for failing to prevent Ushii from "Tainting the Poor Innocent Child in the Room". 'I am not a child,' was the only thing Tsugiyoshi thought when he heard the Monkey say that.

"Alright, who "Tainted" Usagi this time?" a voice from the canteen entrance asked in an annoyed tone.

Everyone looked towards the doorway to see a man in his late 30s that stood at 177 cm (Approx. 5.8 ft) with short black hair and pointed dog ears on top of his head. He had black sclera with blue irises. He had skin that was whiter than pure, untouched, freshly laid snow. He was wearing a gray fur cloak with a black shirt, white pants with a black coloured design on the middle, gray leather boots, and braces in his arms.

Niwatori jumped up and cheered happily "Dotsuku-san! You're finally here!" Then practically lept towards the other cloaked individual, arms spread wide as if she were going to give him a huge hug. The man stopped the greenette's advances by slamming the palm of his hand to her face, squeezing it, and snapped "How many times do I have to tell you about Not doing that shit?" "Gomenasai (4)," Niwatori somehow managed to get out with her mouth covered. 'Guess he's not much of a hugger,' Tsugiyoshi thought to himself, then thought as he glanced at the other Juuni Taisen members 'And considering that no one is really reacting to this, it must happen a little too often.'

Sharyū brought Tsugiyoshi to the man, who didn't seem to be loosening his grip on the girl. 'Can she even breathe?' the grey-haired teen wondered. "Dotsuku-san this is Nezumi the Rat, our newest member of the Juuni Taisen," Sharyū told the snow skinned man, then told Tsugiyoshi "Nezumi-kun this is Dotsuku the Dog, he's our Lab Tech as well as our Venom and Poison Expert." The man pushed Niwatori away, allowing her to breathe again.

Dotsuku raised a brow at Tsugiyoshi and said as he folded his arms "Oh, so Sharyū was talking about you. Let me guess, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were the ones who "Tainted" you?" "Oi! How come you always blame us when something bad happens here?" the twin with the grey shirt snapped, annoyed with the accusation. Rubbing her sore nose, Niwatori said: "Because it normally is the two of you." Realizing that that was true, both of the twins blushed red at that. 'Now I know who the troublemakers are here,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he watched the brown and white rabbit hopping (both still on their leashes and with Usagi) over to Dotsuku, who knelt down to gently stroke their ears. This gave Usagi the opportunity to glomp on the dog's back. "Usagi, please get off," Dotsuku said with a sigh as the whitette grinned like a mad-man as he nuzzled the soft cloak the other was wearing. 'That is a pretty drastic change of reactions,' Tsugiyoshi noted.

"Usagi-kun has the mentality of a child," Sharyū explained to Tsugiyoshi, then said "And Dotsuku-san has a bit of a soft spot when it comes to kids, so he tends to be a bit more lenient with Usagi-kun than he is with Niwatori-chan. But he is serious when it comes to work." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "Then how can Usagi be the coroner if he has the mind of a child? I don't think that's really a good idea to mix those two together." Sharyū gave a small, sad smile and said "That's... A very sad and complicated story. And I'm not just saying that because you're a child, it really is..." 'Okay... I guess that's something I shouldn't bring that up again,' the grey-haired teen thought before wondering if Dotsuku was going to be lenient with him since everyone here (minus Ushii) seem to see him as a kid.

Tsugoyoshi looked down to see the two rabbits curiously sniffing his shoes. 'Well, can't say this place won't be boring. The people here are weird but they're alright,' the grey-haired teen thought with a small smile, then thought 'And I like this branch the most out of the 100 paths; although, I wish the fainting because of the alcohol breath could've been avoided... Lock in.'

~}i{~

Tsugiyoshi was on the roof of the Juuni Taisen building, (after asking for permission first), so he could make a call.

"Tsugi, how's the Juuni Taisen? Was it everything I said it would be?" the person on the other end of the call asked the teen. "It's a lot more high-tech then it was in your day, Nana," Tsugiyoshi said into the cell. 'Nana' chuckled and said, "I expected it to happen." "By the way, was there a Hitsuji the Sheep at Juuni Taisen when you were there?" the teen asked, remembering the elderly man. "That old goat's still there? I thought he retired?" Nana asked curiously. "Yeah, but it seems like he had to come back, but he's not going into the field anytime soon," Tsugiyoshi said with a yawn.

"Tsugi, don't overdo it with the 100 Paths, you know what happens when you use it too many times in one day," Nana told the teen in a serious tone. "I know, and I've only used it once today," Tsugiyoshi said through the cell. The line was quiet for a bit before Nana finally said: "Okay, but don't use it more than six times per day." "I understand, Nana," Tsugiyoshi said as a breeze flew by, then asked, "Should I tell Hitsuji-san about it?" "If he's anything like I remember, it should be alright, but I rather you not tell anyone there unless it's completely unavoidable, even with your 100 Paths," Nana told the teen in a sad but serious tone.

Tsugiyoshi didn't need to use his 100 Paths to know that Nana would've said that every time.

~}i{~

"So, you're going to be my charge until you get used to working here," Dotsuku said as he swapped his cloak for a lab coat that was a rack next to the door. Tsugiyoshi only nodded at that as the snow-skinned man handed him a lab coat that looked to be a size too big for the teen. Dotsuku noticed how the teen was looking at the coat and said: "Just try it on, if it's too big I'll get you a smaller one." Tsugiyoshi took the lab coat and slipped it on. 'Huh, guess it wasn't as big as I thought,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he noticed that the lab coat seem to fit him pretty well.

Dotsuku looked the teen over and said: "Hmm, the lab coat seems to suit you." Tsugiyoshi looked up at the canine man and asked in a perked tone "You think so?" Dotsuku folded his arms and said, "Yeah, makes you look smarter and a few years older." "That's a good plus," the grey-haired teen mumbled.

Dotsuku ruffled Tsugiyoshi's hair and said: "I'll show you where everything is here in my lab, but I'm telling you now, you're not going to touch any evidence I'm working on until you get you're cleared to do so." "Understood," the grey-haired teen said with a nod and thought 'I never expected to start working on the major stuff here on day one anyway.'

~}i{~

Ushii was sitting in Hitsuji's office, looking over a file as the Sheep sat behind his desk and asked: "Well, what do you think of our new Rat?" Ushii continued to read the file and said: "I'll admit, I never expected anyone to get a perfect score on the Juuni Taisen Application Test, especially someone so young." "That's one of the reasons why he was accepted here," Hitsuji stated folding his fingers together and resting his chin on them. Ushii looked up from the papers and asked "One of the reasons? What are the other reasons?"

Hitsuji took a deep breath and said: "He's got a lot of good accomplishments, good education, quick learner, and I'm pretty sure he's the grandson of one of the Juuni Taisen members from my day." Ushii said nothing as he continued to read the file. Hitsuji sighed and stated, "If he's anything like Her, I'm sure he can help you with your little romance problem." "I do NOT have any romance problem," Ushii said calmly but a little too quickly, eyes still on the papers. The elderly man raised an amused brow and asked in an amused 'I-know-the-Truth' tone "Oh? So you told the person your admirations?"

Ushii was very, very silent at the moment.

Hitsuji gave a sigh and said, "I thought as much." The elderly director knew that the Ox of the Eastern Juuni Taisen was a genius and led it better than anyone, but when it came to some personal matters (pretty much when it comes to romance), he was practically in a dark cave with a bulbless torch. 'Now I'm really hoping that Nezumi-kun is like his grandmother. Ushii-kun really needs the help with confessing his love for that person,' Hitsuji thought as he looked at an old picture of him when he was younger (late 20s early 30s) and the Juuni Taisen team for that generation.

'But I also hope that he has his own quirks as well,' Hitsuji thought with a small smile, knowing full well that the individuals make the team.

~}i{~

Dotsuku gave a whistle when he saw the Trace Lab completely organized and said: "Wow, and I only showed you how to do it all only once, Nez." "Thanks," Tsugiyoshi said in a plain tone but thought 'You actually explained it 65 times, showed me 33 times, and helped me 2 times, but you don't really need to know that.'

That was when a growl filled the lab.

Tsugiyoshi assumed the sound was his stomach, considering he hasn't eaten anything since this morning. "You hungry too, Nez?" Dotsuku asked the grey-haired teen with a small crooked smile, then said "I haven't had lunch yet either. Follow me, we'll grab some grub. Sharyū told you about how our canteen works, right?" Tsugiyoshi nodded and said, "You take turns cooking for each other, minus Ushii-san who is banned from the kitchen, and today's Uuma's turn." Dotsuku nodded and then told the teen "Good and you're not going to start cook here yet, but I'd suggest you start practicing at home so you'll be ready, some of the people here are a pain when it comes to food." 'Okay, that's good to know... I better keep watch on everyone's behaviors in the canteen,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he followed Dotsuku out of the lab.

}{

Tsugiyoshi was pleasantly surprised by how much food the towering giant was able to make in a short amount of time, but then again, none of the dishes made were really complicated. The teen chose the dishes he recognized and knew he liked, looked up at Uuma and said: "Thank you for the food." The towering giant only gave a nod. At first, Tsugiyoshi thought he might have accidentally insulted the giant, until Dotsuku told him "Don't worry if Uuma doesn't talk to you, he's basically the Strong Silent Type. He'll talk to you once he's gotten to know you better. *Looks up at Uuma* Right Big Guy?" The towering strongman only gave a silent nod, then went back to cooking more food for the other Juuni Taisen members. Tsugiyoshi then thought 'Ah, ok, so Uuma isn't much of a talker... Good to know.'

As the two took their seats (at the same table), Tsugiyoshi asked Dotsuku "So is there anything else I need to know about the others? So I don't step on any toes." "Good call, kid. Some of the people here got some crazy peeves," the dog-man said with a bit of a uneven smirk, showing the teen his dagger-like teeth to the teen. Tsugiyoshi frowned and said, "Speaking of peeves, I'm not a child, so can you stop treating me like one." Dotsuku snickered and said "I get it, you're a teenager, but you're still pretty young. Anyway, you were asking about the pet peeves of the others?"

Tsugiyoshi nodded and said "Yes. Is Tora really an alcoholic? And doesn't that, I don't know, compromise herself when it comes to her job?" "Ah, I understand your concern and normally you'd be right, but Ushii-san somehow managed to convince her to only drink after a mission has been completed. Also, despite how she can act after a drink, she's not really that drunk," Dotsuku said before biting into his sandwich. Tsugiyoshi then asked, "Speaking of Ushii-san, isn't it a conflict-of-interest for his sister to work under him?" Dotsuku swallowed and said "You would think, but no, he treats her as he would the others, absolutely no leniencies. Although, he does scold her a lot for drinking too much, but the scolding is pretty much a standard procedure. I guess that's kinda the only nepotism that you're really going to see between them here." "I see, any other peeves of Ushii-san I need to know about?" Tsugiyoshi asked, before taking a bit of his food. "Yeah, he's an understanding leader, but if you do go against an order or a protocol, make sure you explain why you did so in a calm, logical matter, he'll give you a lighter punishment if you do." Tsugiyoshi took note of that fact.

"I'm pretty sure those twins, Dragon and Snake, are the residential troublemakers. Anything I need to watch out for from them?" Tsugiyoshi asked the lab tech. Dotsuku nodded and said, "They have an annoying habit of trying to scam people out of money, not like they're successful at it or anything, well, here at least, but it's better to be aware that they might have something planned." Tsugiyoshi then muttered, "So they like money, no wonder they became accountants." "They can be annoying, but they're good at their job, when they do it at least," Dotsuku said before taking another bite of his sandwich. "By the way," Tsugiyoshi pipped up, then asked, "Which twin is which?" The lab tach answered by saying "Dragon always wears something blue, keep that in mind, alright." Tsugiyoshi nodded.

"What about Hitsuji? Does he have any peeves?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously, then added, "I think he doesn't mind being called old." "True, but don't do it too often, okay. He may be twice as old as some of us, but he's certainly not a senile old man," Dotsuku said with a small snort. "Alright," Tsugiyoshi said with a nod, then asked, "Sharyū told me not to call Inounoshishi a Diva to her face, but is there a good way to really deal with her? I know I need to call her a Lady to get her cooperation." Dotsuku gave an audible sigh and said with an annoyed tone "Unfortunately, the "Lady" thing is the only thing that works the best with that trigger-happy, pig-headed boar." 'Oh-kaaaay. Major tension,' Tsugiyoshi thought, then said: "I take it you're not on good terms with her."

Dotsuku gave out an annoyed growl and said: "Between that gun-crazy pig-head and that birdbrained brat, I don't know who's the bigger pervert." 'Birdbrain? Does he mean Niwatori?... Hold on,' Tsugiyoshi thought before asking "Ano, what do you mean by perverts?" and then thought to himself 'And is there anything I should be worried about?' The Lab Tech eyed the teen and said "Don't worry, Nez, neither of those two go for minors. Thankfully." Tsugiyoshi grumbled a "That's a good thing..." then asked "Ano, I think I might understand how Inounoshishi can be considered a pervert, but Niwatori? Ano, you do mean Niwatori when you said 'Birdbrain', right?" "Yeah, that's her," Dotsuku scoffed sourly. Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and said "No offense, but she doesn't seem like she's a pervert..." The lab tech eyed the teen and said "You've heard the old saying "Never Judge a Book by its Cover", right." Tsugiyoshi nodded, getting the hint. "Don't fall for that birdbrain's cute-and-innocent act, she's anything but," Dotsuku growled out. Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but think 'That's good to know...' then asked: "Please tell me that those perverts get dealt with." "Yeah, they see Sharyū every week because of their perverted behavior," Dotsuku said, before adding with a sigh "I do feel sorry for her though. Having to deal with those two all the time with the same lectures."

"Speaking of Sharyū, anything I need to avoid with her?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously. He figured he might as well ask about her, just to be on the safe side. Dotsuku shrugged and said, "I guess the best way to explain her peeve is that it takes a whole lot to actually get her mad." Tsugiyoshi was actually surprised by that when he asked "Really? You're actually serious?" Dotsuku waved a hand and said "I know it seems strange, but that's who Sharyū is. Although I guess flirting with her isn't a good idea, she's in a relationship with someone. Five years I think, and I remember she mentioned something about them getting married one day soon." Tsugiyoshi gave a nervous chuckle and said: "That's good to know, but, even if I did flirt, I don't think she would take me seriously." Dotsuku chuckled and said "I guess you're right. Must be because you're a child in her eyes." Tsugiyoshi rolled his eyes at that, but he knew it was the truth.

"Any questions about Usagi?" Dotsuku asked with a bit of a smug smirk. Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked, "How did you know I was even going to ask about him next?" "Lucky guess," the lab tech said with a shrug and a smile.

The teen rolled his eyes at that and asked "Sharyū mentioned that he has the mind of a child, and he's like that because of his past. Ano, I probably shouldn't even ask about it..." "Nezumi, don't worry about it too much," Dotsuku told the teen, then added, "Listen, when you start picking-up evidence from him after he does an autopsy, pat him on the head when he gives you what he finds and tell him he did a good job." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "Really?" "It makes him happy, and as Sharyū told you, he has the mind of a child, and you have to praise children when they do a good job, to re-enforce positive behaviors," Dotsuku explained to the teenager. Tsugiyoshi then replied "I guess I understand that. You see, I have a kid sister I help care for." This perked Dotsuku's attention when he asked "Really? How old?" "She's six," the teenager said with a sigh, before adding "And she just loves being praised." Dotsuku chuckled and said, "Wow, nine years younger, huh, must be hard on your parents, taking care of a young child and a teenager at the same time." "My parents are out of the picture... It's just my grandma and I taking care of my kid sister," Tsugiyoshi slipped out unintentionally, and didn't realize it until Dotsuku said, "Whoa, sorry about bringing it up." "It's fine, Nana's an amazing caretaker," Tsugiyoshi said quickly, really wanting to get off this topic as fast as possible.

"Oi," Dotsuku said, getting Tsugiyoshi's attention, and added "Another thing about Usagi you need to know is he loves carrots. He cooks with them all the time." "He puts carrots in everything?" the teen asked with a raised brow, as the lab tech nodded and said "Yup, and it tends to alter the colours and taste of the foods he makes." Tsugiyoshi blinked in confusion and asked, "And no one complains about it?" "They have, but everyone quickly learned that Usagi doesn't cook very well when he doesn't use carrots," Dotsuku said with a sigh, then added, "Although, Sharyū has been trying to help him with cutting back on the number of carrots he puts into what he makes." 'Is there a possibility of overdosing on beta-carotene?' the teen thought with a sweatdrop.

"What about you?" Tsugiyoshi asked before sipping his drink. He figured he ask the lab tech. Dotsuku folded his arms and said, "Don't mess with my lab." The teen raised a brow and asked: "Can you be a bit more specific?" "Don't touch anything you're not supposed to, don't move any of the equipment, and don't even think about messing with MY collection," Dotsuku said sternly. "Collection?" Tsugiyoshi asked in confusion, then added: "Ano, I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to have any big personal items here, and I'm sure a 'Collection' counts as big." "Well, the collection I'm talking about here is a collection of Venom and Poison samples," Dotsuku explains, before adding "It's better off here at Juuni Taisen then that at my place." "You collect Venom and Poison? Actual samples of something that can and might kill you?" Tsugiyoshi asked in a disbelieving tone, wondering if the man was really telling the truth or not. Dotsuku waved off the comment and said: "None of the samples I collect can kill me, but they'll kill everyone else here if some idiot messes with them."

"Wait, you're serious! You collect and store those here?!" the teen asked in utter shock, and who could blame him. Dotsuku gave an uneven smirked and said, "Yes, and I'm the only one who's authorized to access that storage unit." Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but ask nervously "Ano, is that really wise?" "Don't worry Nez, I only use those when I need to match it to a cause of death," Dotsuku said with a small crooked smile, then added, "Besides, as much as I want to use some on those perverts, it's ultimately not worth the hassle." "In a way, you're right..." Tsugiyoshi said softly. Dotsuku noticed the teen's tone and said "Don't worry, there's no way I'm letting you near those experiments. I don't care how careful you might be." Tsugiyoshi was really relieved to know that, but couldn't help but remember what the lab tech said about not being able to be killed by his own collection of venom and poison and wondered 'What did he mean by that? Hmm... I know I shouldn't but... Lock in.'

~ Path 1 ~

"Ano, what did you mean by you can't be killed by your own collection?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously.

~ Path 25 ~

"Do you have some kind of high immunity, so you can work with that collection?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously.

~ Path 48 ~

"Do you have some kind of super hazmat suit that you use when you're with your collection?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously.

~ Path 62 ~

"Do you have some sort of device that protects you from your collection?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously.

~ Path 87 ~

"Do you really collect samples of Venom and Poison? I mean, those can't be real, right?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously.

~ Path 100 ~

"*Sigh* Why do you collect such deadly stuff without being affected?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously.

'Damn, I really shouldn't use my 100 Paths on these things... That was a big waste of energy and I didn't even learn why Dotsuku-san can collect venom and poison without any threat to his own life in any of those paths,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he munched on his food, his eyes dropped a bit. "Nez, you okay?" Dotsuku asked the sleepy-eyed teen, then asked "Did you get enough sleep last night? You seem really tired all of the sudden." Tsugiyoshi waved a hand and said, "I'm fine, I just suddenly get tired from time to time." The teen couldn't tell this guy about his ability, then thought 'I need to be a little more careful about who's around when I use my 100 Paths.' Dotsuku tapped his chin a few times before standing up and walking over towards the food.

Tsugiyoshi didn't really give this much thought until a plate of an egg and spinach sandwich was placed in front of him. The teen looked up to see the Dotsuku with a soft crooked smile on his face. The lab tech then said, "This'll give you some energy, to help keep you awake." "You didn't have to," Tsugiyoshi said, a bit surprised that the dog-man would do such a thing. Dotsuku ruffled the teen's grey hair, said "It's no problem, besides, you're going to need the energy," then sat back down, and continued with his meal.

Tsugiyoshi looked at the new sandwich for a few seconds before finally eating it. The egg and spinach sandwich was surprisingly tasty.

"Ano, last question," Tsugiyoshi said, getting Dotsuku's attention. "Hitsuji-san mentioned that you were late today because of something at your other job, but he also told me that it was a special case because members of the Juuni Taisen aren't really allowed to have more than the Juuni Taisen," the teen said, trying to see how the other would respond. The lab tech understood what the teen was asking and replied "And you want to know what it is. Sorry, no dice, I'm not telling you." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked, "Why not?" "It's more of a personal choice," Dotsuku said, staring at his drink, then added, "Plus, I'll never hear the end of it from the Tweedle Twins or those perverts if they find out what it is."

Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "Why? Is it embarrassing?" Dotsuku shook his head and said, "It's actually not, but the maturity level of those perverts and the Tweedle Twins is really low and I don't want to deal with that." "I see..." Tsugiyoshi said before asking "Is it a good job at least?" Dotsuku chuckled and said, "I enjoy it, and Hitsuji-san finds it important for society." This made the teen wonder when he asked: "How can managed both jobs?" The lab tech answered, "Good time management, for one, and I don't work mornings or the early shift here at Juuni Taisen." 'So this other job's a morning thing,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he sipped his drink.

It didn't take long for some of the other Juuni Taisen checked in for food.

~}i{~

"Tadaima (5)," Tsugiyoshi said as he walked through the door to his house. As the teen took off his shoes, a little girl rushed in chanting the lines of "Nii-chan (6) home! Nii-chan home!" The little girl happily wrapped her arms around Tsugiyoshi. He patted her on top of her gray head and asked: "Have you been good, Niki?" The little girl looked up at her older brother with her big gray eyes and said "Yup, and Sensei woved my dwawing." "Oh? Can I see it?" The teen asked the child, who happily nodded and tugged on her older brother's hand, so he would follow her.

The two walked into the kitchen and Niki showed Tsugiyoshi her drawing, that was sitting on the dinner table. The teen looked at the drawing, smiled, and said: "Wow, this is really good, Niki." The girl smiled, showing off the gap in her teeth where she lost a baby tooth, as Tsugiyoshi patted her on the head.

"Ne, Tsugi-nii," Niki pipped up, then asked, "You gunna stay at dat Juuni Tie-place?" Tsugiyoshi told the child "Yes, I'm going to be working there now." "But Tsugi-nii isn't gunna wive dere, wight?" The teen poked the little girl on the forehead and said "No, silly head, I'm not living there. It's a workplace. And besides, this place is my home, with you and Nana." Niki hugged her older brother.

Tsugiyoshi hugged his kid sister back. The teen now remembered why he applied for the position at the Juuni Taisen. Not only he could use his ability to help solve crimes and help people at the Juuni Taisen (without everyone knowing about his ability), but the Juuni Taisen had a very good pay. Tsugiyoshi knew their grandma was doing the best she could to raise them, but she's not as young as she use to be and had to limit her time at her workplace so she wouldn't overdo it. Tsugiyoshi helped out when he could while he was a student, and why he used his ability to get ahead education wise.

'Don't worry Nana, Niki, I'll take care of both of you,' Tsugiyoshi thought to himself.

~}i{~

To Be Continued...

~}i{~

1) Ore-sama is both an overly-self-confident and narcissistic way of saying "me" or "I" in Japanese. This is how Dragon refers to himself in the Juuni Taisen anime (Jap dubbed).

2) Getas are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resemble both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing such as kimono or yukata, but (in Japan) also with Western clothing during the summer months.

3) I'm probably going to get some (or a lot) backlash for this, but I'm doing it anyway. Tora and Ushii are going to be siblings in this story. So don't expect anything romantic between to two here. They do care and love each other, in their own "Unique" way though, you'll be seeing this in the later chapters. And as you read so far, Ushii will be paired off with someone else, and Tora will pretty much "Help" with getting them together.

4) Gomenasai is Japanese for "I'm Sorry".

5) Tadaima Japanese for "I'm home."

6) Nii-chan is pretty much a childish term for "Big Brother" or "Older Brother". Usually, children use it with family members, but some older people use it to tease others.

~}i{~

 **Gale-Dragon** : To all the people who ship Ushii and Tora together, don't flame in the comment/review, I will delete them. Yes, know it was hinted in the anime/novel. Yes, I know that this is the prefered pairing in Juuni Taisen.

But hear me out, to me Ushii and Tora felt more of a brother/sister type of relationship in the anime. In the 2nd Tora flashback, Ushii acted like an older brother towards Tora, and Tora seemed to wanted to show Ushii how she's "Turned Her Life Around" so to speak, like how a younger sister wants to show her older brother that she can stand on her own.

Also, a lot of the chapters will be from Nezumi's viewpoint, since he's the newest member of the Juuni Taisen team.

~}i{~


	2. The Ox's Horns Aren't His Only Blade

**Gale-Dragon** : Chapter 2 is up.

~}i{~

Juuni Taisen: CSI

~}i{~

Chapter 2: The Ox's Horns Aren't His Only Blade.

~}i{~

"Talking"

'Thoughts or Text'

(Author making a comment)

~}i{~

Tsugiyoshi dropped off his 6-year-old sister, Niki, at the Sutāraito Education's Daycare Division.

Sutāraito Educational was a schooling district about three blocks away from the Juuni Taisen building, so it was easy for Tsugiyoshi to drop off his sister on the way to Juuni Taisen. The sed schooling district had all levels of schooling education from Daycare to Collage. Sutāraito Education was able to meet the educational needs of each student.

"You be good, alright, Niki," Tsugiyoshi told the little girl as they reached the gates of the Daycare building. "I will, Tsugi-nii," the gray-haired girl said cheerfully as she placed her hands on the straps of her bag that ran over her shoulders. Niki waved to her older brother as she raced into the Daycare building. Once Tsugiyoshi saw his sister enter the building, he made his way towards his new job.

~}i{~

Tsugiyoshi clocked in and went to Sharyū, to figure out who he's going to shadow in the mornings since Dotsuku wouldn't be in until the afternoon.

Sharyū happily smiled and said, "You're actually going to be working with Ushii-san in the mornings." Tsugiyoshi had a look on his face that would make people think he'd just witnessed a cutesy woodland critter get hit by an 18-wheeler when he vocalized "Eh?" "I know, I was just as surprised as you when Hitsuji-san told me this. You must've really impressed him during the application exams," the Monkey said cheerfully, not completely aware that the teenager was still in a state of shock. 'I'm... going to be... working with... the leader of the Juuni Taisen!' was all Tsugiyoshi could think before he wondered 'Hold on... Was Hitsuji-san there when I took the application exam? I don't remember seeing him before yesterday... Maybe he was watching from someplace where he could see the applicants but we couldn't see him?'

"Nezumi-kun?" Sharyū vocalized, waving a hand in front of his face, regaining the teen's attention. "Ano... Are you being serious? Am I really working with Ushii-san in the mornings?" Tsugiyoshi asked, still in shock but not completely believing that what he heard was the truth.

Sharyū patted Tsugiyoshi on the shoulder and said "I am, and I'm actually impressed that Hitsuji-san thinks highly of you already. *Then changes to a stern tone and places both hands on the teen's shoulders* But don't tell Inounoshishi-chan or the Twins about that particular fact, they'll get really jealous, and I'm sure they'll do something very mean to you, and possible breaks some rules." "That's a... Pleasent thought," Tsugiyoshi said in a soft sarcastic tone, then thought 'This is most certainly going to be tough... And I don't need my 100 Paths to know that's for sure.'

~}i{~

Tora volunteered to bring Tsugiyoshi to her older brother. Okay, more along the lines of Sharyū asking Tora to do it, but that's beside the point. The Tiger was currently leading the teen towards the "Battle Field", a virtual reality box that allows the Juuni Taisen members to practice strategies, formations, and to keep up with the mandatory physical health. Ushii practically lived in there before he eats his morning meal.

As the two made their way towards the Battle Field, Tora took a swing of the bottle in her hand and nearly tripped herself off balanced as she walked.

It's official, Tsugiyoshi does NOT want to know where Tora keeps getting all these bottles of alcohol; because, he's sure there's none in the kitchen of the Juuni Taisen building. "Ano... Isn't it a little too early for a drink?" the gray-haired teen asked cautiously, he really didn't want to use the 100 Paths for something like this so he was choosing his words carefully. Tora branded a goofy smile and slurred out "It's neva taa early fur~a *hic* a drink." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and thought to himself 'Is Dotsuku-san really sure that she doesn't get this drunk after a drink?' The teen watched as the Tiger took another swing at the bottle.

Somehow, Tsugiyoshi wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.

}{

When the two got to the Battle Field, Ushii was in it, of course, polishing his swordsmanship skills. And from what Tsugiyoshi could see, the Ox was on a whole different level. Ushii was slashing the threatening looking holograms that tried to attack him while leaving the civilian looking holograms intact. Each time the teen blinked, he's miss Ushii's blade slice through an attacking hologram, or two. Tsugiyoshi's eyebrow twitched as he thought 'Is this guy for real?! *watches Ushii slice through another 12 holograms with no hesitation* I thought that stuff could only be done in movies.'

Wrapping an arm around the teenager's neck, Tora slurred out "He's~an amazing fighter, ri~ght." "Ano, can you let me go?" Tsugiyoshi asked, not wanting to pass out due to the Tiger's alcoholic breath, again. Tora leaned close to the teen's ear and whispered: "I'ma not sure ifa Hitsu-*hic* Hitsuji-san told ya about helping Ani (1) witha his *hic* li~ttle problem." Tsugiyoshi blinked in confusion and asked "Problem?" The teen wondered what the Tiger meant by that.

A sound of tapping on glass interrupted the conversation.

Ushii was standing on the other side of the glass, giving the two a cold look when he asked: "May ask why the two of you are here?" 'Judging be how he asked... I'm guessing he's the only member of the Juuni Taisen who uses the Battle Field in the morning,' Tsugiyoshi thought to himself as he pulled away from Tora, to avoid her breath. The Tiger gave her brother a goofy grin and slurred "We're here fur a *hic* lagita... lagitane... err... legimin..." Ushii then stated " The word is "Legitament". *Sigh* I believe you agreed about not drinking Sake in the morning." Tora replied by slurring out "I did. *points at the bottle in her hand* This isa beer~." Ushii rolled his eyes at that, pretty much expecting this to happen. Tsugiyoshi had no comment to really add to this.

Ushii sheathed his sword and asked "Allow me to ask again, why are you here? For this "Legitament" reason?" Tora smirked, not that goofy drunken grin she's been doing, shoved Tsugiyoshi closer to where the Ox stood behind the transparent wall and said in a surprisingly clear tone "You're in charge of the new kid in tha mornings, Ani. *Waves good-bye, turns to leave, and in a cheerful tone* See ya later~." The next thing the Ox and Rat knew, they were the only ones in the immediate area.

"OI!" Tsugiyoshi shouted at Tora when it finally sank in that just she left him with the leader of the Juuni Taisen. This was something that the teen couldn't have seen coming, even if he had used his 100 Paths.

~}i{~

Another flash of light went off.

Tsugiyoshi placed a numbered, orange, plastic peg next to another blood drop and snapped a picture of the two.

'It's only my second day and I'm already in the field... never thought that would happen,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he placed another peg next to another blood pool. 'Good thing we're in the digital age, or else we'd have pictures stacked taller than the ceiling of our lab for just this case,' the teen thought as he snapped another picture.

Ushii was called to the scene of a crime; therefore, Tsugiyoshi had to go to the crime scene. On the upside, the teen got to get out of the lab, downside, the crime scene was the very definition of a bloodbath. Tsugiyoshi held up a numbered peg to a bloody dent in the wall, took another picture it with the camera with his other hand, and wondered if all the blood caked everywhere was just from one person. There seemed to be way too much blood here.

"Nezumi-kun," Ushii called the teen. 'Oh, right, that's me,' Tsugiyoshi thought before turning to the Ox and asked "Yes?" "Have you documented everything?" Ushii asked the teen in a serious tone. The teen nodded and said, "I just took the last picture of the scene." Ushii didn't really respond to the teen as he glanced around the scene, before finally asking "What does the blood tell you what has happened here?" "Excuse me?" Tsugiyoshi asked in plain confusion, relatively surprised by the question.

It was pretty obvious what happened here.

"Ano, are you really asking me that?" Tsugiyoshi asked, thinking more along the lines of the Ox testing him, or something. Ushii simply repeated the question, as if he didn't hear the teen's question, "What does the blood tell you what has happened here?" Still not 100% sure what the leader was asking, Tsugiyoshi looked over the scene once again.

There was barely anything that wasn't covered in blood.

Tsugiyoshi then speculated as he continued to re-surveyed the scene, "Certainly one heck of a bloody fight, for one... Ano... Blood is approximately 7% of the weight of an adult human... But there seems to be too much blood here, more than one person can hold in their body... So, there might've been more than one victim here." "Good call, Nezumi-kun, there might be two victims," Ushii stated as he held up a notepad. Tsugiyoshi was actually surprised by the fact that the Juuni Taisen leader WAS actually testing him and wondered how he'd missed a second body. Reading off the pad, Ushii stated "Neighbors heard a woman shouting at 3-in-the-morning, but brushed it off as the usual banter of the tenants of this apartment number." Tsugiyoshi blinked and noted "But the body that was found by the other tenants' *points to the dead body being placed in a body bag by Usagi* is male? Are the neighbors sure it was a woman?"

Ushii nodded and said, "They are sure since they've heard her shouting on a number of past occasions." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "Domestic?" Ushii flipped a page and said, "Lots of tenants have heard but never actually seen anything." The teen mumbled out a "Typical." The Ox did say that the woman who lived here with the deceased was currently missing, but with all the blood here, there was a good chance that she was either dead or killed two people and took the second body for some reason. Usagi then pipped in a "Don't worry Nezumi-Tomodachi (2), this guy'll tell me everything he knows," and then left with the corpse.

Tsugiyoshi gave Ushii a look, that pretty much begged him to tell him 'What the heck did he mean by that?' "Usagi is talking about performing an autopsy. You were told he's the Coroner, right?" the Ox stated as he motioned for the teen to follow him. Tsugiyoshi carefully walked around the blood and said: "I was, but no one really told me about his, ano, I guess his codewords, ano, or how he uses certain words." Ushii then replied in a tone of realization, "Ah, makes sense, Usagi does have a particular speaking pattern that might confuse people who are not familiar with him *he lifted the yellow police tape so he and Tsugiyoshi could pass without breaking the tape*. Sharyū-san or Dotsuku-san might be a better choice to ask about it, they interact with him more then I do." "Ano, who else interacts with Rabbit-san? I'm sure you, Sharyū-san, and Dotsuku-san aren't the only ones who do," Tsugiyoshi asked, trying to keep up with the Ox's long strides.

Ushii explained as he and Tsugiyoshi continued on their way back to the Juuni Taisen building, "Uuma-san only interacts with Usagi in the field, where Usagi retrieve the bodies. Unless they need to pick up the credit cards or account information on a body in the morgue, the twins don't really interact with Usagi. Hitsuji-san is busy with running the Juuni Taisen and doesn't interact with Usagi a much as he would like. *Tsugiyoshi interrupts by asking "But aren't you the one leading the Juuni Taisen?"*. I 'Lead' the Juuni Taisen, it takes another set of skills to actually 'Run' it, but I do help Hitsuji-san when he needs me to *Tsugiyoshi nods at this*. Niwatori-san seems to be afraid of Usagi and tends to avoid him out of fear, but she seems more willing to interact with Usagi when Dotsuku-san is there. Inounoshishi-san avoids him because she finds him, in her words "Completely Unappealing and No One a Lady Would Ever Be Around", I don't quite understand what that means though." "She's an annoying Diva," Tsugiyoshi suggested and then thought to himself 'The others had at least a legitimate reason for not interacting with Rabbit-san often.' Ushii chuckles a bit, agreeing with the teen's statement, and said: "Only she will deny that."

"What about your sister? I mean, what about Tora-san?" Tsugiyoshi asked, realizing that Ushii didn't mention her. "She has a minor allergy to rabbits," the Ox stated simply. "Eh?" was all the teen got out as he stopped walking. Ushii stopped, turned to the teen, and said "She has a minor allergy to rabbits. She gets runny noses, teary-eyed, and sometimes sneezes when she's in close proximity to Sangatsu and Shiro, even if they're in their Playpen." Tsugiyoshi responded by saying "Ah, so she can't be in the morgue because she'll compromise the evidence that Rabbit-san collects if she sneezes, and Rabbit-san probably has their fur on his person." "Correct," Ushii said with a nod as he started walking again. Tsugiyoshi sighed before trying to keep pace with the Ox.

'Is he really just walking?' Tsugiyoshi thought to himself as he started running as he fell behind Ushii. The Ox didn't seem to be actually running; it was more like he had longer walking strides than the teen. Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but think 'This is certainly going to take a long time to get used to,' as he did his best not to fall too far behind Ushii.

Well, this is one way to stay in shape.

~}i{~

"Nezimu-kun! Are you all right? Was the crime scene that bad?" Sharyū asked the teen in a tone that resembled the worried tone that Tsugiyoshi's Nana used when he overused his 100 Paths.

Tsugiyoshi was laying on Sharyū's therapy couch, close to passing out, as he panted out "No... Ushii-san *pant* walks to fast... I had to run to *pant* keep up with him..." Sharyū blinked and said, "Oh... *Thinks for a bit* I know Ushii-san has a long stride since he's on the tall side, but I don't think he walks that fast." "I knew it..." Tsugiyoshi said with a sigh, then added: "He WAS testing me at the crime scene..."

The Monkey sat at the edge of her couch and said in a soft tone "Maybe he just wanted to make sure you can handle this kind of thing." Tsugiyoshi grumbled out "I am NOT a child, and I can handle a bloody scene," knowing full well that that's what the orangette meant. 'Something tells me that it's going to take a while to get her to understand that,' the teen thought, eyeing the Monkey from the lower corner of his sightline. "Maybe he didn't think that the scene was going to be that bloody than," Sharyū said in a soft tone. 'Honestly,' Tsugiyoshi though before saying "There was enough blood for two people there. We got one body in the morgue and the other body is missing. Yes, I was surprised by the amount of blood there, but I handled it well. Took pictures of the whole scene."

Sharyū smiled softly and said, "Alright, but don't push yourself too much, ok." Tsugiyoshi gave an audible sigh.

"Sharyū-chan, you're going to be a really interesting mother one day. You have a Mother Hen mentality but you can be a bit oblivious to the fact that a child eventually grows up," a familiar voice stated, coming from the doorway of Sharyū's office.

Sharyū and Tsugiyoshi turned towards the doorway, tiredly in the Rat's case, to see Dotsuku (wearing his gray furred cloak) leaning against the doorway. Relatively surprised to see him there, Sharyū asked "Dotsuku-san? Is it the afternoon already? *Looks at a nearby clock that read 13:45 (1:45 PM)* Oh.. I guess it is..." Tsugiyoshi was also looking at the clock when he thought 'I guess we were at the scene longer than I thought... Then again, it WAS a mess.'

"How does grabbing some lunch before checking in with Usagi for some trace sound to you, Nez?" Dotsuku asked the teen with a crooked smile that exposed his sharp fangs, knowing full well what the answer would be. Tsugiyoshi practically jumped off of the couch, despite being in a tired state, and stated: "After what happened, I'm definitely hungry." Dotsuku raised an amused brow and said "Oh? You mind telling me about it?" The teen gagged and said, "Not while we eat." As the Dog and Rat left the Monkey's office, Dotsuku asked in a confused tone "Did something happened?" Tsugiyoshi sighed and said "Ushii-san got called to one bloody crime scene, which meant I had to go there too... I took pictures of it though." Dotsuku whistled at that.

Sharyū smiled at this.

~}i{~

After the Dog and Rat ate their lunch (and waited until there was no chance of seeing their food again), they went to the morgue to see if Usagi found anything during the autopsy.

"Dotsuku-Tomodachi! Nezumi-Tomodachi!" Usagi cheered when he saw the two walked in. The teen spotted a rabbit terrarium in the corner of the morgue (near the entrance to sed morgue). The rabbit terrarium had a nice little shelter that looked liked a miniature house in the farthest corner from the morgue entrance, real grass (since the two rabbits were nibbling on a few strands without much worry), toys designed for rabbits, chew toys for the ever-growing bunny teeth, food bowls, water bowls, and surrounded by what looked like a biodome. There was a picket fence design around the bottom outside of the biodome, to make it a bit more homey looking. Sangatsu (the cocoa brown bunny) and Shiro (the white bunny) seemed to be happily hopping around their little home. The teen couldn't help but think 'Okay, despite it being completely out of place in a morgue, that's actually a pretty cozy home for them.'

"Did you confirm identity?" Dotsuku asked Usagi, snaping Tsugiyoshi's attention to the Dog and Rabbit.

Usagi nodded and said "Fingerprints match. Buddy here is Maclroy Koto. *pulls the covers off the chest of the dead body from the crime scene* Cause of death is multiple stab wounds to the chest with a knife. *points at a clear-cut* I'm pretty sure it was a kitchen knife, but Ushii-Tomodachi can confirm. Also, someone was really mad at him, those cuts are deep." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and asked "How deep?" "The attacker wanted Maclroy dead dead," was all Usagi said. Dotsuku translated what the Rabbit meant to the teen, "Whoever attacked Maclroy-san used a lot of force, which usually indicates rage. *looks at the cuts* judging by the angle, our attacker was either taller than him or stood over him as they stabbed him." "Would a woman be able to do this kind of damage?" Tsugiyoshi asked, before adding "I learned from Ushii-san that Maclroy-san was living with a woman, and they have been heard fighting by the other tenants. She's also missing."

Dotsuku tapped his chin and said "I suppose she could be considered a suspect, but don't jump to conclusions. You said the crime scene was caked with blood, right? *Tsugiyoshi and Usagi nods* Then she might be another victim. Keyword, "Might". *Turns to Usagi* Do you have any evidence for me to analyze?" Usagi nodded, handed the Dog a tray of sealed containers and small paper bags, and said "Lots of stuff under his nails, and he also had weird stuff in his pockets. Twins took the money cards earlier." Dotsuku muttered a "Coarse they did," under his breath before taking the tray of evidence with one hand, patted Usagi on the head with the other, and said "Thanks, Usagi." The white-haired man grinned happily.

'He really does have a child mentality,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he watched Dotsuku tell Usagi that he was a good boy for collecting all the trace evidence for him.

~}i{~

"Yo~, Doggu," two voices called from the doorway.

Tsugiyoshi saw Dotsuku rolled his cyan-on-black eyes at that. The Dog turned towards the doorway, folded his arms, and asked: "What do the two of you want?" The teen turned to see Dragon and Snake standing in there. Tsugiyoshi raised a brow and wondered why those two were here, there wasn't any financial stuff to give to them.

"We figured it out," the twin with the gray top, Snake, if Tsugiyoshi remembered correctly. 'Dragon wears blue, so he *looks at the twin with the gray top* must be Snake,' the teen thought. Dotsuku sighed, turned his attention back to the computer monitor, and said in an I'm-Tired-of-This tone "Alright, what is it?" Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but ask "Ano, what are you talking about?" "Dotsuku's morning job, of course," the twins said at the same time. Tsugiyoshi now had a deadpin look on his face, he really had no response to that. Dotsuku glanced at the teen and explained: "It's sort of a game that some of the Juuni Taisen members like to play." All Tsugiyoshi could do was nod, not completely sure of the whole thing.

Dragon and Snake then said in unison "In the morning you work as-"

"A Stripper!"

Everyone completely stopped whatever they were doing (or saying in the case of the twins) and turned to the new voice. Standing in full view of the four was Inounoshishi, holding her two beloved guns in her hands and a wide smile on her face.

In a befuddled tone and a look of utter disbelief on his face, Dotsuku asked the Boar, "E-excuse me?" Inounoshishi raised her arms in the air, along with her guns (the twins narrowly avoided getting hit by one of them), and said cheerfully "You're a Stripper in the morning! *Not noticing the freaked-out looks she was getting from the Twins, Dog, and Rat* You've obviously got the body for it, and you're in perfect shape to pole dancing. I know I would definitely pay to see that."

After a few seconds of VERY awkward silence, Snake finally asked Dragon, "Oi, Nii-san, don't the Strip Joints usually close around 4:00 (am)?" "Yes, Ore-sama is sure they close at 4:00 (am)." Tsugiyoshi watched Dotsuku pinched the bridge of his nose and said in an annoyed tone "As you heard, your job theory is obviously incorrect, Pig-for-Brain. Also, *in an aggravated tone* like hell you're going to catch me in one of those places! The smell in those places is enough to make me puke!" Dragon then looked up at Inounoshishi and said with a sneer, "Looks like you're putting money in the jar." Snake then said, also with a sneer "And since that was also laced with a sexual harassment, you're putting in double."

Tsugiyoshi had absolutely No idea what was going on, and frankly, he didn't really want to know.

Inounoshishi then huffed and stated as she eyed the twins, "Then what's you're job theory then?" Dragon and Snake then said to Dotsuku in unison, "In the mornings, You're a Mailman!"

Dotsuku pointed at the twins and said "Not a bad guess Tweedle Twins, good logic, but incorrect. I'm not a Mailman in the morning." Dragon snapped his fingers in annoyance as Snake said: "Damn it, I thought we got it this time." "Ore-sama thought so too... Damn it, that means we're putting money in the jar now," the older twins stated in annoyance. Dotsuku gave an amused shrug and said: "Oi, you made a good guess this time around Tweedle Twins."

With that, the Twins and the Boar grudgingly left the Rat and Dog to the trace evidence.

Tsugiyoahi decided to ask "Oi, what's with the "Jar" thing?" Dotsuku looked at the teen with a gentle smile and explained "Since the majority of Juuni Taisen have been trying to guess my morning job for a good while, they kind of started putting money in a jar with each wrong answer. Winner get's the whole thing if they guess my job correctly." "You actually agreed to that?" Tsugiyoshi asked with a raised brow. Dotsuku gave a soft snort and said "No, it was something the others sort of settled on. Besides, I was outvoted."

The teen then muttered, "I wonder what kind of jar is being filled?" Tsugiyoshi knew that different jars held different volumes of mass. "It's one of those countertop jam jars," Dotsuku said with a smile, then added, "From what Sharyū-chan has told me, we're on jar number 4, and that one's nearly full." The Rat raised a brow and asked "Really?" Dotsuku did state that a lot of the guesses are repeat answers, hence why there were four jars of pocket change (and some paper money). "And since Sharyū-chan is trying to get that Pighead and the Birdbrain to stop with the sexual harassment, one of the Guessing Rules is that you have to put double the required amount if you make any sort of sexual lingo in the guess," the lab tech explained. Tsugiyoshi then said "Ah, so That's what Dragon-san meant about putting double in the jar... I'm guessing that's not the first time Inounoshishi-san has, ano, "suggested" that job." Dotsuku sighed and said, "Let's just say that probably the majority of the money in the jars are from Pighead and Birdbrain. Frankly, I didn't think either of them carried That much pocket change."

Tsugiyoshi had no response to that comment.

"I guess the next question I should ask is who don't play this "Guess the Job" game?" Tsugiyoshi asked as he handed Dotsuku a test tube. The Dog replied "Hitsuji-san because he already knows what my morning job is and he doesn't care much for this guessing game *Tsugiyoshi then stated, "I figured since he had to approve it." Dotsuku then nods at that*. Ushii-san doesn't really mind my morning job and also doesn't care for the guessing game. Sharyū makes a guess from time-to-time, but you can kind of tell she's not really trying. Uuma does play but not often, he has made some pretty good guesses in the past. Usagi doesn't play because he's still learning about jobs that have nothing to do with the Juuni Taisen." Tsugiyoshi gave Dotsuku a very confused look. The lab tech then stated in a sad tone, "Yeah, Usagi had one messed up upbringing... Listen, Nez, Usagi can know what a person did for a living, but he may not know the name of the career. Just... Keep that in mind, alright?" "I'll just... make sure I explain what the career is about in a simple matter to Rabbit-san," was all Tsugiyoshi said, knowing full well that that was all he could say at the moment.

After that, they just did lab work.

After a few minutes, Dotsuku asked Tsugiyoshi "Why do you call Usagi Rabbit-san?" The teen answered "He introduced himself as "Usagi Rabbit" to me. I guess I thought that his name was Rabbit... But I have noticed that everyone seems to be very casual with him." Dotsuku chuckled and said "Yeah, I guess we are, but it's more along the lines of him not having the real ingrain habit of using the proper honorifics. I'm sure you've noticed that he uses the word "Tomodachi" as an honorific. Because of that, we're pretty lax with him about honorifics with us." "What about the family of the corpse in the morgue? I'm pretty sure they would find it inappropriate if he isn't using the honorific," Tsugiyoshi noted.

Dotsuku looked at the teen, raised an amused brow, and said "You catch on real quick. No wonder you got the position of the Rat on passing the Juuni Taisen Application Exams." "Thanks," Tsugiyoshi said in an unsure tone. "We told Usagi to use basic honorifics with the family of the victims. You know, -San with adults, and -Kun with kids," Dotsuku explained before the computer beeped and added, "We also told Usagi not to go into any details about how the person died in front of those family members." "I guess that can work," Tsugiyoshi stated as he thought 'I guess it's behaviors like those that make Rab-, ano, Usagi seem so child-like.'

"Nice! We got DNA of the killer," Dotsuku suddenly said. Tsugiyoshi looked over the Dog's shoulder to see the data on the screen. "Hm? DNA's male... So the girlfriend isn't the killer," the teen stated out loud when he saw some of the peaks on the DNA graph. Dotsuku chuckled and said "I'm really starting to see how you got a perfect score on the Juuni Taisen Application Exam. You read that right away." Tsugiyoshi looked at the taller male and asked, "Was it really that unusual to get a perfect score on that?" "Eh? You really didn't realize how hard those Exams are? The average on those Exams is usually between 67%-75%. You can only get into Juuni Taisen if you get anything over an 85%." Dotsuku asked the teen in a bit of a shocked tone. "EH?! Really?!" was all the teen got out.

Dotsuku then placed a hand on his chin and said "But, then again... Despite your age, you already graduated college. My guess is you still had all the forensic knowledge still fresh in your brain when you took the Application Exams." "Ano, yeah, I think you're right. I did take a lot of science classes when I was in college. And despite how I look, I have a pretty amazing mind when it comes to logic," Tsugiyoshi said but thought to himself 'Well... That's a half truth... I do have that kind of mind, but I did use my 100 Paths during those Application Exams so I could get a better chance at a higher score...'

Dotsuku patted the teen on the shoulder and said: "I guess you were just meant for the Juuni Taisen." "Ano... Thanks," Tsugiyoshi said with a silent sigh of relief as he thought 'That was close.'

~}i{~ The Next Morning ~}i{~

Tsugiyoshi clocked into the Juuni Taisen and made his way to the Battle Field since he knew Ushii was going to be there. His phone dinged. The teen stopped walking, pulled out his phone, and checked to see who it was. It was a message from Nana.

'Tsugi, I'm going to be working a double shift tomorrow. Will you pick up Niki from Daycare for me? I know the Juuni Taisen has a child-friendly room that Niki can stay at. Nana.' Tsugiyoshi typed the reply 'Yes. I'll pick Niki up tomorrow.' and sent the message. Tsugiyoshi then continued walking towards the Battle Field.

}{

Tsugiyoshi sat in one of the chairs near the Battle Field, just watching Ushii slash the holograms. 'I know I've seen him do this before, but he's still on a whole different level...' the teen thought.

Ushii finally turned towards the area where Tsugiyoshi sat. The teen gave him a simple wave before the Ox slashed the hologram that tried to sneak up on him. 'Yup, he's definitely on one hell of a very different level,' was all Tsugiyoshi thought as he watched this.

Ushii quickly finished up and walked out of the Battle Field. "My apologies, I forgot that I'm in charge of you in the morning," the Ox said, making sure his sword was sheathed. Tsugiyoshi rolled his eyes and said in a sarcastic tone "Ah-uh, I'm sure you did." "No, I actually did," Ushii said, not noticing the sarcasm, and added, "I haven't looked after a new member since I was a Kendo Instructor for the Dojo." "You were a Kendo Instructor?" the teen asked the Ox, who in turn, nodded and said, "That was before I was scouted by the Juuni Taisen, Tora worked at the Dojo as well." Tsugiyoshi then asked, "So both you and Tora-san worked at a Dojo?"

The two started walking towards the labs as Ushii said "Our father runs a Family Dojo. We worked there when we turned 13." Tsugiyoshi then thought 'That explains Ushii-san's... Abilities... somewhat... But not Tora-san...'

Tsugiyohshi's cell dinged. He stopped walking to check the text. It read 'I'll call the Sutāraito Education's Daycare Division when I get my break, to let them know that you're going to pick up Niki tomorrow. Make sure you bring your ID card, they won't let you pick up Niki without it. Nana.' Tsugiyoshi texted back 'I never leave the house without my ID, so there shouldn't be any problems when I pick her up.'

"I hope that's important," Ushii stated sternly. Tsugiyoshi head snapped to the leader, who was now giving him a stern look. 'Eep! Right! I'm at work! I'm not supposed to be on my personal phone!' the teen thought, before thinking 'Dotsuku-san said to explain in a calm, logic matter.' Tsugiyoshi took a deep breath and said "My Nana was just letting me know that she's not going to be able to pick my younger sister Niki up from Daycare tomorrow, so I have to pick her up. I'll pick her up during my lunch break." "Where is the Daycare located?" Ushii asked in a stern tone. The Rat answered "It's the Sutāraito Education's Daycare Division. It's not far from here." "I'm aware of that, my nephew also goes to the Sutāraito Education's Daycare Division," The Ox stated as he motioned the teen to follow him. "Nephew? Tora-san has a son?" Tsugiyoshi asked with both confusion and shock. Ushii then stated "No, she doesn't have any children. Our older brother has a son."

Tsugiyoshi did not know how to respond to that, but he did ask "Ano, about me using my phone..." "Your "Nana" is your grandmother, correct?" Ushii asked in a stern tone. "She is," The teen replied before adding "She's surprisingly good with technology, but she's better with simple ones than the more complicated ones." Ushii was quiet for a bit before finally saying "Then do tell her that you are not supposed to be on your phone during your time here unless you are on your breaks. You can do that during your lunch today. Since you just started here, I shall let you off with a warning, but if you're caught on your phone during work again, you will be reprimanded, understand?" "I understand, Ushii-san," Tsugiyoshi said with a soft breath of relief. "As for your sister," Ushii stated as they continued on their way, then added, "We have a nice area for young children here, so you can feel better about leaving her here while you are working." Tsugiyoshi smiled and said "Arigato (3), Ushii-san!"

That was one thing out of the way, and Tsugiyoshi didn't need to use his 100 Paths.

~}i{~ Later ~}i{~

The dead body of their missing female was found later that day in the apartment of the person who killed her and Maclroy. Apparently, she was having an affair with her and Maclroy's killer. The only reason her body was found was because of the smell of decay that was coming from the killer's apartment.

The killer tried to escape. Uuma, Tsugiyoshi, and Ushii had to give chase. The teen was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the giant strongman could run pretty fast. But the killer got enough of a headstart to steal a car that people just got out of. After the killer stomped on the gas, the car bolted off. "Shit!" Tsugiyoshi cursed under his breath before Uuma grabbed to teen and yanked him out of the street (and avoiding an oncoming car). The Rat and the Horse watched as the Ox took off after the stolen car at a lightning pace. "Eh?" was all the teen got out as Ushii caught up to the stolen car, stabbed his saber into the front of the car, pulled it out, and kept pace with the car until the car started to slow down. This gave Uuma and Tsugiyoshi the opportunity to catch up to the car and Ushii. The killer still had his knife on him and stabbed Uuma in the arm as he was apprehended, but the knife broke upon contact with the giant's skin.

Tsugiyoshi took the opportunity to figure out how Ushii managed to stop the car with just one strike. The teen opened the car's engine compartment where the Ox stabbed to see that the main sparking plug of the engine was broken, it was stabbed right through. Looking at the hole the saber made as it was jabbed through the metal of the car and the broken sparking plug, Tsugiyoshi thought 'He made a precise strike to the car that would stop it while causing minimal damage to it... *Then looks at Ushii, who was currently talking to the police* He made such a precise strike while running alongside the car... And considering different brands of car engines have their sparking plugs in different locations... He knew the brand of car on sight and knew where the sparking plug was located in the engine...'

On their way back, Tsugiyoshi asked Ushii "How did you know where the strike that car?" Without looking at the teen as he continued walking, the Ox stated: "I have memorized the layout of all brands of cars that are in the area so that I can disable a car that has been stolen by a suspect without much damage, as you saw earlier." "It's so the car owners do not have to worry about their car too much, and the damage Ushii-san usually inflicts on the cars are easily fixed and aren't that expensive," Uuma told the teen. 'So he also knows the cost of the types of repairs,' Tsugiyoshi thought then asked the Ox "Are a car buff?" Ushii paused his steps, looked at the teen, and asked: "Excuse me?" "A car buff... Ano, a car fanatic... Someone very interested in cars," Tsugiyoshi said with a sweatdrop, a bit surprised that the leader didn't understand what he meant. "Ah, I see how you came to that conclusion, but I did not do car research because of that. I did my research so situations, like the one earlier, ends with minimal damage to the car, civilians, and the environment. I have also done research on the buildings in the area and their structures, so I can archive the minimal damage on those as well."

Ushii then went back to walking ahead of the Horse and Rat. Uuma patted the teen on the head and followed the Ox. Tsugiyoshi trailed behind as he thought 'All that research just to prevent more tragedies... Ushii-san really is in a class of his own.'

~}i{~

Usagi confirmed the cause of death of the woman was stabbing, while Dotsuku confirmed the person who killed the two with a DNA match.

It wasn't the biggest case closed in Juuni Taisen's history, but it was Nezumi the Rat's first closed case (even if he didn't play that big of a part in the case, it was still his first case), so the Juuni Taisen celebrated this milestone. (Much to poor Tsugiyoshi's dismay).

Tora brought alcohol to the event, but Ushii and Hitsuji locked all of it into a cupboard. "I'm not sure if you realize this, but our new Rat is a minor, so no alcoholic anything," the Ram scolded the Tiger. Ushii let out a sigh that seems to indicate this incident was nothing really new. Tora puffed her cheeks and huffed out "Killjoy," to the elderly man. Niwatori pipped in a "But, Tora-chan, minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol, it's the law." Amour gave a squawk of agreement. The only thing the Tiger did was huff.

'That is going to be a repetitive thing now,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he watched the two bunnies munch on their dinner of rabbit food and carrots in a corner of the canteen. 'The fact that those two rabbits aren't reacting to the noise is proof that this happens way too often,' the teen thought as he watched the white rabbit look up from its food to see what the Rat was doing before going back to eating.

"Not much of a party person?" Dotsuku asked as he sat next to the teen as he held a cup of tea in his left hand. "Pretty much... Why are they doing this when I asked for them not to?" Tsugiyoshi asked the Lab Tech with a sigh. Dotsuku chuckled and said "Well, you were outvoted, for one. The other is pretty much the fact that Sharyū-chan's making a cake for you for completing your first case and no one here is going to pass up an opportunity to eat a baked good from her." The teen raised a brow, looked directly at the Dog, and asked: "What do you mean by that?" Dotsuku pointed his left index finger at the Monkey decorating a cake in the kitchen as he took a sip of his tea and then said "Sharyū-chan's pastries are pretty much heavenly and she's one hell of a cook. Heck, when it's her turn to cook, there isn't a single crumb of a leftover. Although, she does restrict how many pieces of her desserts someone can have. In all honesty, she should've become a Pâtissière (4) instead of the Juuni Taisen's Negotiations Specialist and the Psychologist/Behavior Expert."

Tsugiyoshi wasn't really sure what that meant, but when Sharyū brought out the completed cake, gave him the first piece, and he tried it. 'Holy Hell! Dotsuku-san was right! This is beyond delicious!' The teen thought blissfully as the flavor of the cake filled his mouth. He needs to make sure to save some for his grandma and younger sister and he was willing to use his 100 Paths to achieve this.

~}i{~ The Next Morning ~}i{~

Unlike yesterday, today was pretty slow.

Tsugiyoshi yawned as he and Ushii clocked out for their break. "Nezumi-kun, you're picking up your sister today, correct?" the Ox asked the teen, who in turn replied "Ano, yes... I'm actually going to head out now so I can be back to eat something... Ano, you don't mind if she eats lunch here with me?" Ushii shook his head and said, "Not at all, just make sure she keeps her Visiter's Pass on while she's here." Tsugiyoshi stated that he will.

But what caught the teen off-guard was the fact that the Ox stated in a very direct tone that he was going to pick up his nephew alongside the Rat. When Tsugiyoshi asked why Ushii replied that his older brother wasn't going to be able to pick up his son today and asked him to pick him up. "Ano, does Tora-san want to come too?" the teen asked, not really expecting the other to really respond and half expected the Tiger to just pop out of nowhere to just join them. "Actually, our brother and Tora aren't on the best terms at the moment, so he's not going to ask her for any favors," Ushii told Tsugiyoshi as they left the building. The teen wasn't sure he really wanted to know what happened, so he didn't ask.

}{

Ushii decided to use his speed to get both himself and Tsugiyoshi to the Sutāraito Education's Daycare Division so they could have more time to eat lunch at the Juuni Taisen Labs when they got back. While they did get there in less than a minute and a half, the teen did have a bit of a stability problem after the Ox stopped running.

Ushii did ask if Tsugiyoshi was all right. "I'm good, just... Give me another few seconds, okay," the teen said as he shook his head to clear some dizziness.

Once the teen felt better, the two walked into the Daycare building.

One of the Daycare workers looked at the two and asked: "Hello, may I help you?" Ushii stated clearly "I am here to pick up Aira Kenta, I'm his uncle." Tsugiyoshi told the worker "I'm here to pick up Sumino Midorimiki (5), I'm her older brother." Ushii turned his attention to the teen and asked: "I thought your sister's name was Niki?" Tsugiyoshi explained, "Niki is her nickname, and the only part of her name she can sort of say." Ushii only nodded at that.

With that, a little gray-haired girl jumped on her older brother and cheered "Tsugi-nii!"

"Oh, so you're this Tsugi-nii that she's been talking about," the daycare worker said with her hands on her hips and a friendly smile. "I hope she's been saying good things," Tsugiyoshi said in a bit of a joking tone as he patted his sister on the head. A black haired six-year-old boy poked his head around the corner, to see what was going on, before laying his eyes on Ushii. "Oji-sama (6)!" the boy cried out happily as he raced towards the Ox. Tsugiyoshi had to bite his lip to prevent him from making any noise as he thought 'That's something I never thought Ushii-san would be called.'

The daycare worker kelt down and said "Niki-chan, Kenta-kun. *Getting the children's attention* I know you two are happy to see them, but Sensei need to confirm that they are actually here to pick you up." The boy and girl 'aww'ed at that. Tsugiyoshi and Ushii pulled out their picture IDs as the daycare worker went to get the Sensei that was mentioned.

"Ne ne, Tsugi-nii, you gunna wove Sensei, he'sa Weawy nice sensei," Niki said happily. Kenta then added "Yeah! He'sa betta den tha senseis at da Dojo!" "Is he now?" Ushii said with an amused raised brow then added: "I hope you haven't told any of them that." Tsugiyoshi smiled softly and thought 'Seem like he's been hearing the same things about this Sensei that I've heard from Niki.'

"Okay, you two mind coming with me? Sensei has his hands full at the moment," The daycare worker said with an apologetic smile. Both Ushii and Tsugiyoshi, along with the two children, followed the worker without much of a second thought. After all the Sensei was working with young children.

"Okay, now that everyone has all the colours of the rainbow, we're good," Tsugiyoshi heard someone say in a cheery voice, that sounded oddly familiar. "Tsukui-Sensei, Kenta-kun's uncle and Niki-chan's brother are here to pick them up," the daycare worker told the Sensei, who wore a light blue shirt white slacks and a green apron. The Sensei had some familiar short black hair with pointed dog ears.

Ushii and Tsugiyoshi froze with a completely shocked look on their faces when the Sensei turned to them, and then froze himself.

"Ano... IDs, please... So I can... Ano... Confirm that you are who you are...And are... Actually, suppose to be here..." The Sensei said as his cyan-on-blue eyes kept on the two Juuni Taisen members. Ushii simply stared while Tsugiyoshi finally asked "Dotsuku-san?"

One of Dotsuku's dog ears twitched.

}{ A Few Minutes Later }{

After confirming the IDs and that they were indeed here to pick up their family members, Dotsuku sat with Ushii and Tsugiyoshi in the corner of the Daycare.

"I'm going to be completely honest, I never expected anyone from the Juuni Taisen to come here in the morning," Dotsuku stated as he handed the IDs back to his co-workers at the Labs. Tsugiyoshi managed to catch a glance at Ushii's ID, he saw the name Kashii Eiji on it. Then Dotsuku said "Or that anyone there actually had family members under my care." "I suppose the codenames had a part in that," the teen stated as he placed his ID in his wallet. Dotsuku shrugged and basically agreed. The Dog then glanced at the Ox and asked "You're quieter than usual Ushii-san. Are you okay? You're not too shocked about this job? Are you?" Ushii placed an index finger to his chin and basically said "I am alright. I'm just thinking that the daycare uniform seems to suit you better than a lab coat."

Neither Dotsuku nor Tsugiyoshi knew how to really respond to that.

Niki climb onto her brother's lab and asked: "You alweady know Sensei, Tsugi-nii?" Tsugiyoshi looked at his younger sister and said "Ano, yes... Ano, he works at Nii-chan's job after he's done here..." "Yes, that's pretty much it," Dotsuku said with a wry crooked smile. "Perhaps we can find a way to modify the labcoats so they can have the visible appeal while still maintaining the required sanitary specifications," Ushii said, still with his hand to his chin.

Again, neither Dotsuku nor Tsugiyoshi knew how to respond to that.

"Oji-sama, no tinking of work now," Kenta told his uncle, seemingly use to this kind of thing despite his young age. That snapped Ushii out of his thoughts, then he said "Ah, my apologies. *Then looks at Dotsuku* Since we are not currently employed as Juuni Taisen members, how should we address you?" Tsugiyoshi did have to admit, the Ox had a point, they weren't at the Juuni Taisen and thus didn't need their codenames.

Dotsuku rubbed the back of his head and said "Well, considering that there's a good possibility that I'm going to see the two of you here in the future... *Sighs* I guess we might as well introduce ourselves by our given names so we don't get this weird awkwardness again. I'm Tsukui Michio." "Kashii Eiji," Ushii responded immediately. The teen sighed softly before saying "Sumino Tsugiyoshi. *Looks at Ushii and asks* How come your last name differs from your nephew?" "I prefer to use my mother's family name rather than my father's," the Ox stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Dotsuku then asked Ushii "Just out of curiosity, is your sister going to be coming by to pick up Kenta-kun?" The Ox shook his head and stated: "I don't expect her to be." That was when Kenta said, "Obasan (7) and Papa no get along." "I've... heard from your papa, Kenta-kun, I just never expected her to be someone I actually know," Dotsuku said with a soft sigh. Tsugiyoshi took note of this and thought 'It sounds like he Knows why Tora and her oldest brother don't get along.'

Dotsuku then said, "Well, to end this conversation on a happier note, *stands up* Kashii-san, Sumino-kun, I will be seeing you later." The Dog then holds out his hands to the two. They replied to the gesture. Dotsuku knelt down to the two kids' level and said in a cheerful but serious tone, "Now, Niki-chan, Kenta-kun, the two of you need to be good when you're at the Juuni Taisen. The people there do their best to catch the bad guys through very strict and complicated methods, and they need to be very, very careful when doing these methods. You can't touch anything unless they tell you it's okay to do so. Understand?" The two kids then replied in a happy tone "We understand, Sensei." Dotsuku closed his cyan-on-black eyes and happily smiled his crooked smile, before remembering that two of his co-workers from that very lab were standing right there and turned a rather obvious shade of pink (the pink was easy to see due to his snow-white skin).

All Ushii and Tsugiyoshi could really do was just be surprised by this new side of the Dog.

When he got his voice, Tsugiyoshi asked "Ano... Do you want us not to tell the others? I mean, if you want us to..." That was when Ushii stated clearly "How about we just not say anything. *Eyes the teen* Besides, it's ultimately Tsukui-san's decision to tell them or not." Tsugiyoshi got the hint and said, "It's fine with me." The two kids didn't really understand what was going on, but they did understand that the other people at the Juuni Taisen Lab didn't know that their precious sensei worked at a Daycare.

"Thanks," Ushii and Tsugiyoshi heard Dotsuku say.

~}i{~

"Can you repeat that?" Hitsuji asked Tora, who in turn, replied "Ya losin' yar hearing old man? Ani had'ta pick up our nephew at that Sutāraito Daycare place and tha new kid's pickin' up his kid sis at the same place. *Giggles* Small world, huh." All Hitsuji could do was nod as Tora boils some pasta.

'The world seems a lot smaller now than in my days,' Histuji thought to himself, before wondering 'Ushii-kun I know won't say anything about Dotsuku's job, but I'm not sure about Nezumi-kun...'

"OI! NO! DON'T ADD ALCOHOL TO ANYTHING! THERE'S GOING TO BE CHILDREN HERE TODAY!" Hitsuji shouted when he saw Tora about to pour in a bottle of liquor into the boiling water. "Don't be silly, I'ma not going to give my nephew this," the Tiger stated as she just dumped the bottle's content into the pasta, and scaring the poor Sheep out of his skin. "I know some good liquor-free recipes for tha kids, ya'know," Tora stated with a cattish grin.

Poor Hitsuji was so not very sure about.

~}i{~

"Make sure you keep this on while you're here, okay Niki," Tsugiyoshi told his younger sister as he clipped on the Visitor's Tag onto her shirt. Ushii did the same with his nephew and stated: "That goes for you too, Kenta unless you do wish to wait outside." Tsugiyoshi did mention that that comment did go a little too far. The children agreed to keep their tags on.

}{

"Yo, Ani," Tora waved happily at Ushii. The Ox only responded by saying "Please tell me you've made something that the children can eat." Kenta peaked out from behind his uncle too see his aunt and say "Hi hi, Obasan!" "Yo, Chibi (8)," Tora said with a wave. The boy puffed his cheeks and stated: "I'm no chibi!" "Don't start this argument here," Ushii said with a sigh. The Tiger and the boy reluctantly agreed to that. Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but think 'I take it this is a common dispute between those two. And it seems like the two of them respect Ushii-san a lot to stop their usual banter on his command.'

Tsugiyoshi picked up his sister, so she could see the food better. Tora told the teen that the Drunken Shrimp Scanty was for the adults only. Tsugiyoshi had a pretty good guess why.

After a few minutes, the other Juuni Taisen members (minus Hitsuji, Usagi, and Dotsuku) came in for lunch. They, of course, clamored over the two kids. Too bad they didn't want the attention from the weird strangers, especially the tall lady with the big scary guns.

Ushii then told the team "You all are acting as though you have never seen children before." 'Agreed,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he rolled his eyes before taking a bit of his food. The teen had to admit, the adults were acting a bit immature, but he figured that it was because Tora made a lot of alcohol dishes.

Usagi popped in with the two bunnies. He, of course, asked about the two children. "The boy is the nephew of Tora and me, while the girl is Nezumi-kun's younger sister," Ushii answered before sipping his tea. Usagi's red-on-black eyes sparkled and asked "Whaa! Really? *Places a finger to his chin and asks in a curious tone* Come to think of it, where did you get little siblings?" Tsugiyoshi nearly choked on the food in his mouth, then thought 'Seriously?! He doesn't know how children are- Oh wait! Messed up past... I need to start remembering that with Usagi.'

Uuma immediately covered Inounoshishi's mouth when she started going into detail about "How Babies are Made" while Tsugiyoshi and Ushii covered the ears of their respective young family member. Usagi just blinked in confusion. "You are sick in the head for saying That in front of children," the twins told Inounoshishi in a blunt tone.

Tsugiyoshi rolled his eyes and Really hoped that this sort of thing isn't going to happen again next time he has to pick up Niki.

~}i{~

Dotsuku clocked in after everyone finished with lunch and after Ushii and Tsugiyoshi brought the children to the Kid's Room.

"Wow, nothing to analyze today?" Dotsuku asked the teen when he saw that there were no evidence bags on his station. Tsugiyoshi only said, "It's been a slow day here." "I suppose that can be a good thing," Dotsuku said as he folded his arms. The teen could tell that the Dog had something he wanted to say. "I'm not going to tell anyone here about it and I'm pretty sure Ushii-san won't either," Tsugiyoshi stated softly, so no passerby wouldn't overhear. Dotsuku waved a hand and said, "I know you won't, but that's not what I wanted to ask." The teen waved a brow as the Dog sat in his chair.

"Then... what did you want to ask?" Tsugiyoshi asked as he sat in another chair. Dotsuku sighed and stated "I'm not really sure if I should really tell you this, but Aira-san, *whispers* Kenta-kun's father, *normal tone* has mentioned multiple times that his sister, that I now know is Tora-san, has been pestering his brother, who I know know is Ushii-san, about confessing to his long-time crush." "He has? I'm kind of surprised he told you about that... Does he know you work with them?" Tsugiyoshi asked Dotsuku, who shook his head and replied "No, he doesn't. *Sigh* I had to ask if there was any trouble in his household when Kenta-kun was exhibiting aggressive behaviors towards some of the other kids, so he had to tell me about his "family issues". I'm going, to be honest, I never actually expect him to be so open about it."

Tsugiyoshi thought for a bit before saying "Well, kids mimic everything adults do... Wait a minute! Ushii-san has a crush on someone?" "Seems like it," Dotsuku said with a sigh. Tsugiyoshi suddenly remembered what the Tiger told him when he first learned that he was shadowing the Ox in the mornings, then said "Come to think of it, Tora-san did mention Ushii-san had a "Problem" and was hoping I would help him with it." Dotsuku raised a brow and asked "You think the "Problem" is this crush thing?" "It has to be," the teen stated before realizing "But... She also mentioned that Hitsuji-san thought I could help with it."

In a surprised tone, Dotsuku said: "Wait, if Hitsuji-san knows and is actively involved, then that means... *whispers so that only Tsugiyoshi could hear* Ushii-san's crush WORKS at Juuni Taisen!" The teen placed a knuckle to his chin and said: "Well, we know for a fact that it can't be Tora-san, Hitsuji-san, or me." Dotsuku nodded and stated "Yeah, Tora-san's his sister. I know they love and care for each other, but only as siblings. Hitsuji-san I know is still married to the love of his life, Ushii-san is aware of that, and Tora-san wouldn't be pushing him to confess to someone already married. And you just started, and from what Aira-san told me, it's longtime crush."

Tsugiyoshi folded his arms and said "Ano, should we really be talking about this? I mean he is our boss and all..." Dotsuku scratched his cheek and said "You're probably right, but still, for his sake, I hope this crush isn't that pigheaded Inounoshishi. She already has 12 boyfriends and Ushii-san seems to be the monogamous type." "Eh? I knew she had more than one, but I didn't think it was that many," Tsugiyoshi said in a slightly shocked tone, then asked out of realization "Wait, how'd you know she had that many?" Dotsuku grimaced and stated "She asked me to be boyfriend #13 one time. *Shutters* And she asked me after she shot a getaway car full of holes like it wasn't THAT big of a deal." The teen then muttered, "That's something I never thought I'd hear..." "Tell me about it," Dotsuku stated, before adding "Back on topic... I know that we shouldn't talk about it, but after learning recent things... I guess I can't help but worry about Ushii-san and Tora-san..."

"You really care about them, huh," The teen stated in a soft tone. Dotsuku took a deep breath and said "I guess I do, and... It's just... I don't want their family to break apart because of something minor..." "Did your family?" Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but ask. Realizing what he was talking about and the tone of it, Dotsuku turned pink, then waved a hand, and said "No! My family's completely stable and still together! *In a sad, softer tone* But, I have seen other families broken apart because of a bad argument... And I don't want that happening to a pair of good siblings..."

An image of a funeral flashed into Tsugiyoshi's mind when he said: "I can understand..."

The next thing the teen realized, Dotsuku had a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry about bringing up some bad memories," the Dog stated in a soft apologetic tone. "It's alright..." Tsugiyoshi said softly. That was when Dotsuku said, "Listen, Nez, if you need anyone to talk to, I'll be willing to listen." The teen quietly thanked the Lab Tech.

}i{

Ushii was looking at a picture in a locket he had (that was usually hidden under his shirt) in his office sitting at his desk. His eyes seemed to soften the longer he looked at the picture. The picture showed an image of him when he was 5-years-old standing next to another person of the same age (the image was conveniently obstructed by a glare of light so the viewer couldn't see the other child).

A knock on the door snapped the Juuni Taisen leader out of his self-induced trance. Ushii quickly closed the locket, hid it back under his shirt, and asked: "Who is it?"

"It's Sharyū, and I have the paperwork from the case from yesterday," the voice said through the door. "Ah, I was expecting those, come on in, the door isn't locked," Ushii said in his normal tone. The Monkey walked in with a small stack of papers in her hand and said: "There isn't much, so you should finish it in a few minutes." "That's fine, Sharyū-san," Ushii stated as he picked up a pen. The Monkey nodded and gave him the paperwork.

~}i{~ That Night ~}i{~

Tsugiyoshi tucked his sleeping sister under her bedcovers before quietly leaving her room.

The teen then headed towards his own room with a yawn and thought 'Man, this sucks. I get tired when I overuse my 100 Paths, but I also get tired when I don't use it... Maybe I just need to use it at least once a day. Although, I really need to be careful about who I use it around.'

Tsugiyoshi changed into his night clothes, then crawled into bed, and finally fell asleep.

~}i{~

To be Continued...

~}i{~

1) Ani is the Japanese respectable term older brother.

2) Tomodachi is Japanese for Friend. Usagi uses this word a lot with the Juuni Taisen members.

3) Arigato is Japanese for Thank you. Arigato Gozimasu is Japanese for Thank You Very Much.

4) A pastry chef or pâtissier (pronounced [pɑ. ]; the French female version of the word is pâtissière [pɑ. ɛʁ]), is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods.

5) Midori is Japanese for "Green" and Miki is Japanese for (and depending on the Kanji) "Beautiful Chronicle", Beautiful and Noble", Beautiful Tree", or "Beautiful Hope".

6) Ojisan means Uncle in Japanese. -Sama is honorific that basically states that they are highly regarded (but some jobs in Japan require their staff to refer to their customers in this regard). Therefore, Kenta respects his uncle by calling him Oji-sama.

7) Obasan is Japanese for Aunt.

8) Chibi is basically Japanese for Small, Shrimp, or Short. While I'm sure everyone has seen chibi variations of their favorite character, usually when someone is called a Chibi it's usually either an insult or a childish nickname (depending on who's saying it and the tone behind it).

~}i{~

 **Gale-Dragon** : Yup, I'm not giving away who Ushii has a crush on, but I will leave hints in the following chapters. Just letting you all know, as stated in the story, Ushii's crush IS NOT Tora, Hitsuji, or Nezumi. Have fun guessing.


End file.
